Thanks to his compass, which they realized hours too late was broken, they had veered north instead of south and now found themselves far from where the search party focused its efforts. Though they had been rationing, their food situation was starting to get worrisome
Their luck hadn’t been all bad, though. They’d found a shallow creek several hours earlier, from which they had refilled their water bottles. They were also now headed in a general direction that would take them right toward Old Man Gentry’s front porch within the space of a few hours or, assuming they missed that, the old logging road a short while later. However, this was something they would never know.
Before they could reach such salvation, luck abandoned them altogether. Mona was too busy bitching Josh out for the thousandth time to notice how silent the forest had grown. By the time she realized it, it had been too late. Within seconds, the attack began. Their screams echoed for some distance before cutting off abruptly.
It would still be another two days before the search for them was called off. By then, between their attackers and the scavengers that came later, there wasn’t much left to find.
♦ ♦ ♦
The rage had settled down again. It was never truly gone, not now and not ever again, but for the moment, it was sated. The clan had been steadily following the trail of blood. The scent of two-legged things had been growing stronger, much stronger. The beasts were bringing their masters back to their own clan. There were many of them ahead, no doubt huddled in their fragile dwellings. They would destroy the clan of two-legged things. Its existence was now an affront to theirs.
Just then, though, the wind had changed direction and they caught another scent: more two-legged things – this time to the west, although they had no name for direction. They were close, very close. It had been too tempting to ignore, thus the Alpha had turned in their direction.
Several times along the way, he had been forced to stop and bare his teeth at the clan in challenge. They were getting unruly. The rage was starting to supersede their sense of hierarchy. A few had wanted to tear after the two-legged things, heedless of stealth, and run them down like prey. But the Alpha was still the largest and strongest. The small bit of sanity that remained amongst the clan caused them to heed his commands ... for now.
The two-legged things had been chattering amongst themselves while the clan approached. They were stupid creatures, but they weren’t entirely devoid of instinct. Eventually, one of them had sensed that something was wrong, that they were now being stalked. By then, they were surrounded.
The Alpha gave a short grunt, foam-laden spittle flying from his lips, and the clan descended upon the two-legged things. The rage took over. Even had the Alpha wanted to do things differently, which he did not, he would have been unable to exert any control at that moment.
Hands, claws, and teeth latched onto the two-legged things from all directions. The presumed male had been the first to die when one of the clan had bitten into the top of its skull. The other, a female – or so their senses told them – died more slowly, although its end came only moments later. Its limbs were wrenched from its tiny body as the claws of the clan then began to tear into its rib cage. The two-legged thing lived just long enough to see its own insides ripped from its body, right before the massive fingers of the Alpha gouged through its eyes.
The next few minutes were like a drunken orgy of hate. Flesh was torn and eaten, viscera thrown in every direction. The coverings of the two-legged things were discarded to the side, where they were defecated upon. Amongst all of this, the clan also fought each other. Their bloodlust still running high, several of them clashed over the remains, trampling what little was left into the ground as they clawed and bit at one another.
It was several more minutes before they managed to get a tentative handhold on control again. The rage retreated a little, and the Alpha was once more able to assert dominance. He grunted and spat at the clan. Though their language was crude, he was still able to communicate a message of the carnage to come ... carnage which would make this kill seem like nothing in comparison.
The clan once more began to move, toward the trail, toward Bonanza Creek.
Chapter 21
If the town had earlier reminded Danni of Little House on the Prairie, then Dr. Hanscomb cemented the deal. His practice had the distinct feel of a place that had been ripped out of its time and deposited into the twenty-first century, so much so that she had almost been surprised when he opened a cabinet and removed modern medical equipment rather than a jar of leeches.
As for the doctor himself, old-timey seemed to be the best way to describe him. He appeared to be about in his mid-fifties and was dressed warmly in jeans and flannel, as if he weren’t quite sure whether his next emergency would involve a person or a horse. Despite his quaint appearance, Danni had seen the degree from Johns Hopkins hanging in his office. She began to form a picture of him as someone who wasn’t quite ready to retire, yet had long grown tired of the steady inflow of patients that a hospital or big city practice would bring. That they had interrupted him in the middle of a game of Yahtzee with his wife seemed to confirm this.
After ascertaining the location of the town’s doctor, Danni had accompanied Mitchell and the injured men. Regardless of the fact that neither appeared to be gravely wounded, she nevertheless still felt responsible, at least for Greg. It turned out to be a good decision, as Mitchell ended up having his hands full with Chuck – more or less having to drag the man there. Greg, at least, hadn’t offered any objection to receiving medical treatment.
Once the two were safely inside of the examination room, Mitchell had given the doctor his field diagnosis, then left to resume his research. Before departing, though, he had asked Danni to do him a favor and make sure Chuck didn’t leave before being treated. She agreed with no hesitation. As far as she was concerned, it was the least she could do for the people who had saved them all.
She had been in the waiting room for about half an hour when Dr. Hanscomb emerged, a grim look upon his face. He sat down next to her and, without any preamble, said, “I have bad news. Your friend didn’t make it.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Conroy McStanish hadn’t expected such a bonanza, excuse the pun, of business. He was the owner and oftentimes lone employee of the Bonanza Bed & Breakfast. During hunting season, he did a respectable trade, and often had at least one boarder at any given time during the rest of the year: usually hikers, road-trippers, or salesmen. It was rare, though, that he found himself with a full house – all six rooms rented out. He had been forced to send his wife on an emergency run to pick up supplies for dinner and breakfast. Still, it was worth it. The extra income would make a nice little addition to his and Susan’s vacation fund. He had been promising her a Hawaii trip these last five years, and now it was looking more likely that he might finally be able to give it to her. Yes, things were finally going his way.
♦ ♦ ♦
Even to Rob, who was still all starry-eyed at meeting Dr. Jenner and crew, the sleeping arrangements seemed a little off. Derek and his men had split two rooms, nothing odd there. Rob had assumed his group would pair off as they had done the night before. He had been wrong. Allison had grabbed a room to share with Danni. When he had started to book one for Paula and himself, though, she had demurred and instead asked for her own accommodations. Before he could raise a protest, she had cut him off with a curt, “I need some time to myself,” and then gone ahead with the credit card transaction.
Phil had reluctantly agreed to room with Greg. He had tried to get his own as well, but upon hearing of the limited space available, had offered to share one with Greg and Greg only. That left Harrison and Rob. Roomies again, he thought, carrying his bags to the second floor. Odd or not, he quickly shrugged it off. For the time being, it didn’t seem like too big of a deal. He had been planning on just dropping his stuff, then going to assist Mitch anyway.
♦ ♦ ♦
“You’re an asshole
!” Danni told Greg, who was trying and failing to suppress a smirk. Chuck wasn’t even bothering. He was holding his freshly sutured midsection and laughing outright.
“What?” Greg replied. “It was just a joke. I figured you could use one. You’ve been a little mopey since we started the drive back.”
“It wasn’t funny,” she said, poking a finger into his chest. “And if I’ve been mopey, it’s because maybe I’ve been worried about you two idiots being hurt.”
“If anyone should be sorry, it’s me,” Dr. Hanscomb interrupted. “I normally wouldn’t go for a tasteless gag like that, but your friends assured me you’d be up for it.”
She rounded on him. “Yeah, well I wasn’t.”
“But you should be,” said Chuck, getting the laughter under control. “Seriously, little lady, you should be the happiest person on the planet. Think about it. You and your friends just danced with the devil, and all you got in return were a few bumps and bruises. Not everyone is that lucky.”
She considered that and was about to reply when the doctor again interjected. “Danced with the devil? I thought you said you startled a bear and her cubs.”
Chuck gave the others a quick warning glance. “Yeah, doc. I’m maybe exaggerating just a little bit.”
Danni sighed and tried to change the subject. “So, they’re okay?”
“For the most part. A hairline fracture and some nasty bruising on this fellow. I only had an air cast handy, but that should be fine for this type of break.” He indicated Greg’s arm, then turned to Chuck. “As for your other friend, I had to do a lot of stitching, not to mention pump a ton of antibiotics into him. I highly recommend he check himself in at the hospital down in Pagosa Springs to have some X-rays done. However, I don’t think there’s any danger as long as he doesn’t try overdoing it.”
“No worries on that one, doc,” Chuck replied with a wink.
Oh well, he’s not my problem, Danni thought.
“Great,” Hanscomb said. “Now unless there’s anything else, let’s talk payment. I’d really love to get back to my game.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Mitchell was locked inside the back of the van. As always, he was a bit in awe of the place. Amazing what you can buy when the feds are footing the bill. He prepped the samples for testing. Between the equipment and the full communications array, including satellite uplink, he figured one could practically sequence the genome from here. He was just a field researcher, but he sometimes wondered what a true lab rat could accomplish in this rig.
He had just finished separating the samples onto slides when there was a knock at the back. He sighed. Sure, he knew the kid was coming. Hell, he had even invited him. Still, he’d thought that perhaps Rob would be tired and might forget about it. Oh well, he mused, maybe it’s for the best. He had been known to get a little too into his work at times, especially when he was sequestered away like he was now. Maybe a little company would be good. At the very least, having a guest might serve as a reminder that he needed to eat every now and then.
He stood up in the cramped quarters and opened the back door. Rob climbed in, an eager look on his face, as Mitchell locked up the van again behind him.
“You sure you’re up for this? This stuff is gonna get a bit dense.”
“You bet,” Rob said. “Let’s see what makes this sucker tick.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The curtain of the first floor window moved ever so slightly as the hand pulled away from it. Paula had been keeping an eye out ever since locking herself in her room. Sure enough, just as she knew he would, Rob had emerged from the front door and walked directly toward the van. He’d probably be in there for hours, maybe even all night. A nerd to the very end. She gave a small sigh, then walked away from the window and lay down on the bed.
She let her thoughts drift away. The thought of cuddling next to him in the little room turned her off more than ever. Even using the word “boyfriend” to describe him had begun to feel a little icky as of the last several hours. No, she had better things to occupy herself with for the time being.
The others would probably be grabbing some dinner right about now. She had no interest in joining them. Her appetite for food was nonexistent, and she definitely had no desire to reminisce about the events of the day. Even the barest recollection of that monster sent shudders of revulsion through her. She had other things to distract her, though. What she had in mind might make her shudder, too, but in a much more pleasant way.
As she let her thoughts drift toward clearings, loincloths, and savage cries in the wilderness, she slowly moved her hand down her body. She was well adept at the use of her own fingers. She had done so quite often while in the grip of one of her fantasies. Today had been the first time she had let someone else touch her down there. She remembered the long ride back to town and began to imagine it was his hand that was slowly unbuckling her pants.
Almost as if in response to her carnal thoughts, there came a soft knock on the door. She smiled, expecting that, too. If it was who she hoped, perhaps there would be no need for further fantasizing.
♦ ♦ ♦
Harrison entered the pub just as darkness fully enveloped Bonanza Creek. It wasn’t much, just a small bar and a few tables, but it would do. Frat boy or not, he usually wasn’t a heavy drinker. Sure, he had attended his fair share of parties and had even woken up once or twice facedown in a toilet, but typically those moments were rare. Right now, though, he figured he had earned himself a couple beers. Although they had escaped mostly unscathed – physically, at least – there were probably deeper scars that would need mending.
Paula, in particular, was worrying him. He had gone into this weekend thinking he would soon be a single man again. Now he was wondering if Rob might wind up in the same boat. He wasn’t too worried about himself. He was relatively certain he was going to ask Allison out. He was likewise pretty sure she’d say yes. Rob’s dating prospects, on the other hand, had never been particularly strong. At least he was fairly well distracted at the moment. Even if Paula did dump him, it would probably be a good while before Rob finished yapping about the Crypto Hunter and noticed.
Speaking of the show, Harrison was none too shocked to see Derek and his cameraman seated at one of the tables. What did surprise him, though, was when they both waved him over. He had figured, with the excitement over, they’d be all business now and barely give him and his friends the time of day. His curiosity piqued, he walked over to them. “Hey, guys.”
“Have a seat,” Derek replied amicably enough. “I’m buying.”
“Really?” Harrison sat down. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Forget that. You deserve it,” Francis said. “You’d be surprised how few people we meet that can keep it together once the shit hits the fan.”
“Frank’s right. You and your sister both showed a lot of character out there. If it weren’t for the two of you, I think your friends might have scattered like rabbits.”
“Agreed,” Francis said, draining his glass. “Also, the way you stared down that squatch with just a can of pepper spray was pretty damn badass.”
Harrison chuckled. “Probably a lot more crazy than badass. By the way, do you think it would’ve worked if you guys hadn’t shown up?”
Derek didn’t hesitate with his reply. “Not even for a second.”
There was a moment of silence at the table, then all three men burst into laughter.
♦ ♦ ♦
Mitchell linked the van’s systems to the Denver CDC’s computers via satellite. He set up an automated scan to match the samples against known animal and hominid contagions. The search queries were narrowed to only include results known to induce behavioral changes or neurological side effects. It didn’t guarantee success, but it meant the time spent combing through the mainframe’s vast database would be relatively short. If those results came up negative, he would expand the parameters. If that still didn’t pan out, he explained, then next would be a full toxicologi
cal examination of the squatch’s stomach contents.
Bigfoot Hunters (Tales of the Crypto-Hunter Book 1) Page 18
